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Harvesting Willow

Raider112

Member
Are there no restrictions on timing for this? happening now but if a farmer wants to flail a hedge on 1st March he has to do a site survey. No way a survey in willow could identify bird nests effectively.
 

n.w

Member
Location
western isles
Not particularly relevant but I have about 0.5 of a hectare of SRC which i use as windbreak, craft etc, Cut as needed when plant dormant, I did have some pet lambs eat off the new shoots over several weeks in the spring [about a dozen stools] and that effectively killed them........ the willow not the lambs.
My point being that to cut them in leaf might kill them
 

Raider112

Member
Good question, curious to hear the answer

arguably it’s a crop, can one harvest forestry at any time of the year?
pretty sure they would know what they were doing but there are a few deer in there so probably killed the fawns if they have been born and in the middle of the nesting season. Seems such a shame if it's allowed, why can't the same timescales apply?
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
Not particularly relevant but I have about 0.5 of a hectare of SRC which i use as windbreak, craft etc, Cut as needed when plant dormant, I did have some pet lambs eat off the new shoots over several weeks in the spring [about a dozen stools] and that effectively killed them........ the willow not the lambs.
My point being that to cut them in leaf might kill them
You have actually killed willow? Not sure I believe that, wait a season... :unsure:
 

brigadoon

Member
Location
Galloway
Not particularly relevant but I have about 0.5 of a hectare of SRC which i use as windbreak, craft etc, Cut as needed when plant dormant, I did have some pet lambs eat off the new shoots over several weeks in the spring [about a dozen stools] and that effectively killed them........ the willow not the lambs.
My point being that to cut them in leaf might kill them
I think you should specifically market those lambs - I have never yet met a willow tree that was fazed by cutting - if you leave cut lengths in any contact with the ground down here the damn things root again
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Not particularly relevant but I have about 0.5 of a hectare of SRC which i use as windbreak, craft etc, Cut as needed when plant dormant, I did have some pet lambs eat off the new shoots over several weeks in the spring [about a dozen stools] and that effectively killed them........ the willow not the lambs.
My point being that to cut them in leaf might kill them
This was cut 3 days ago,
I dont know of any other plant that grows like it . I have some over 10ft that was cut back last Autumn.
But if sheep kept eating those shoots it would give up and die
20200428_062415.jpg
 

n.w

Member
Location
western isles
Ha Ha you may have point Brigadoon...Danllan, heres some now and then pics. as said the lambs got in a temporary fence and i thought oh well what harm can they do !... I planted about 200 willow slips about 20yrs ago as a windbreak, now i have several thousands. we also sell willow slips as windbreak cover all over the Western Isles.. Im very fond of Willows..:giggle:
live willows.jpg

dead willows.jpg
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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